


Fallen Hero

by MalcolmReynolds



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Death, Funeral, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Murder May, Tears, Who's Who Part 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23096008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmReynolds/pseuds/MalcolmReynolds
Summary: The takedown of Hawkmoth was not without a cost. Ladybug sacrificed herself for the safety of Paris, and the citizens come together to grieve her passing.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 78
Collections: THEME:  Hero





	Fallen Hero

The weather that day reflected the mood of the people of Paris. The near constant drizzle from the dark clouds overhead occasionally broke apart to let through a sparkling ray of sunshine. Today, a 16 year old girl was being laid to rest. Today the villain who had been terrorizing the city for three years was behind bars. The citizens were torn between the knowledge that their emotions could no longer be used against them, and the fact that their beloved hero, Ladybug, had died in the battle. 

One person, however, felt nothing. Chat Noir, or Adrien Agreste, just felt broken. He’d lost everything. His father was outed as the man behind Hawkmoth’s mask, a man who had been grasping at any sliver of hope to bring his wife back from the brink of death. His father’s assistant, Nathalie, had been his true assistant in everything, donning the mantle of Mayura, and costing Adrien the closest thing he’d had to a mother in many years. The worst blow, though, was the loss of his partner, Ladybug. Adrien had loved her with all of his heart, and was devastated to not only lose her, but her civilian side, Marinette, one of his closest friends. 

When she’d fallen in that final battle, cut down even as she ripped Hawkmoth’s miraculous from his chest, he’d snatched up the Lucky Charm that she’d dropped and thrown it into the air, hoping against desperate hope that it would bring her back. It did not.

The honor guard of heroes that flanked him on that short walk from the mansion to her home was a testament to how deeply she was loved. As soon as the police arrived on scene, removing Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancour in shackles, Chat Noir had scooped up the broken body of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and started walking towards her parents bakery. Viperion and Rena Rouge had fallen in on either side of him, with Bunnix, the current version, and Carapace falling into step behind. 

Ryuko, Pegasus and King Monkey rounded out the party, tear tracks visible on every last cheek, even that of the stoic Dragon Hero. Heads bowed, they turned their backs on the now-restored fortress in which Gabriel had locked his family away, trudged onwards, one last, heart wrenching duty to perform: returning the body of Ladybug, the body of Marinette, to her parents. 

As the procession approached the bakery, Tom and Sabine stepped outside. Tears were freely running down both of their faces, and Tom fell to his knees, shoulders heaving as Sabine stepped forward to greet the heavy-hearted heroes. She reached out with one trembling hand, brushing the hair from her daughter’s cheek as a small red and black creature flew up to nuzzle her neck. 

She invited the heroes into their home, escorting them through the bakery, and up into their home. Tom followed the procession of teenage heroes, locking up the bakery and joining the others as they sat in stunned silence, mourning the loss of both Paris’s saviour and someone they cared about as civilians.  
As, one by one, their transformations unraveled, they saw in each other friendship, loss, and a support system, people they could go to when things became overwhelming. 

Chat Noir sat, the lone remaining hero, having recharged Plagg after using Cataclysm. With every friend that was revealed, he seemed to fold further in on himself. Tom wrapped an arm around him, leading him into another room. Alone with his partner’s father, Chat broke down completely. Words wouldn’t form, and he just sat there, enfolded in loving arms, letting his pain overwhelm him. 

It was while they were alone, that his transformation unraveled. Plagg must have triggered it, because Adrien was in no shape to choke out words. When Tom saw who was under the mask he held the boy tighter. 

A call to his wife had Sabine entering the room. A glance at the young man standing with her husband, and a brief whispered conversation had them in agreement that they would petition to adopt Adrien. They’d seen the news… all of Paris had. They knew who was behind the mask of Hawkmoth, and they knew that Adrien was now alone in the world. His mother’s body being covered with a sheet was the last thing the news cameras had been able to capture before the police had banned them from the site. Marinette’s body had been removed shortly afterwards. 

When he was, once again, in control of himself, Adrien re-entered the living room. Once his friends registered what they were seeing, and what this meant, they rushed over to him, offering words of condolence and support and promises of continued friendship. In front of everyone, Sabine offered him a place to stay, and the support of a loving family, and included everyone in the invitation to drop by at any time, that sharing the burden of grief made it easier to carry than for any individual alone. 

A week later, under threatening skies, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was laid to rest. An enormous crowd was gathered, even though only her friends and family were allowed at the graveside. The memorial afterwards was open to all, and an unnatural hush descended on the crowd as Adrien Agreste stood from where he sat between Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng and stepped up to the microphone. He closed his eyes, and took a long, calming breath. He exhaled and opened his eyes, looking up just in time to see a rainbow forming across the sky. A sign of healing and of hope. 

From within his pocket, he felt the comforting weight of both Tikki and Plagg, encouraging him to say what needed to be said. One more deep, cleansing breath and he was able to begin. 

“Ladybug was my partner, and I loved her.”


End file.
